Improvement in vault-covers



l. PRICE & l. E. MURPHY.

Vault-Covers.

' Pat-ented-March31,1874.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

J'OHN PRICE AND JOHN E. MURPHY, OF NEYV YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN VAULT-COVERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 149,246, dated March'Sl, 1874; application tiled February 24, 1874.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that we, J oHN PRICE and JOHN E. MURPHY, of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvement-s in Vault-Covers, of which the following is a speciication erally and be secured firmly in position.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of' a vault-cover with a portion of the outer shell broken away to 'show the elastic filling-block. Fig. 2 is a section of a vault- A cover provided with a llingblock extending `to the base of the cover.

The shell or frame A, forming the body of the vault-cover, is cast of metal in one piece, and while it may be of any desired form or configuration, it is preferably made of a cy lindrical form. The shell is cast with an internal circumferential rib, B, forming a corre sponding external groove or depression, C, and above said rib the shell is flared outward to the rim D to form a supporting-shoulder, E, for the filling-block F. The latter is made of india-rubber, and is of a diameter somewhat larger than the internal diameter of the shell A, so that when it is forcibly inserted into the same it will be compressed to enter the shell, and then the elasticity of the rubber causes it to expand or spring outward under the circumA ferential rib, and to otherwise fill the entire, or nearly the entire, internal space of the shell, as shown in Figs. l and 2, thus securing the filling-block in position without the aid ot' other fastening devices. The portion of the filling-block which is located above the rib B is made larger in diameter than the remainder of the block, and is beveled to a suitable cxtent to rest upon the corresponding flared or beveled mouth or supporting shoulder E below the rim D. The upper surface of the elastic iilling-block is made Hush with the top edge of the rim D, or it may extend slightly above the same, as Amay be desired. The shell or casing of the cover, when constructed with an internal rib and flared or beveled rim portion, subserves the double function of retaining the elastic filling-block, and of supporting the cover in its receiving-frame.

In certain instances we also propose to construct the shell of the cover of sheet or plate metal, which is spun or struck up into shape.

le are aware that liangcs have been `arranged on the interior of the shells of vaultcovers for the purpose of holding cement in the shell when molded and set therein, and such we disclaim, as it is not our invention.

le claim- An elastic rubber filling, substantially a; described, in combination with a metallic shell, to form a `vault-cover, as specified.

In testimony that we claim the bregoing we have hereunto set our hands this 20th day of February, 1874.

JOHN PRICE.

JOHN E. MURPHY.

YVitnesses PETER J. GARRY, WM. WAGNER. 

